Telephone numbers register



Nov. 10, 1964 D. E. COOPER 3,156,057

TELEPHONE NUMBERS REGISTER Filed March 12. 1962 INVEN 9 DUANE E. COOP WWW United States Patent 01 3,156,057 TELEPHONE NUMBERS REGISTER Duane E. Cooper, 21 Forest Road, Delmar, N. Filed Mar. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 178,854 1 Claim. (Cl. 40-68) This invention relates to a device for tabulating telephone numbers.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device for tabulating telephone numbers particularly of the direct distance dialing type requiring three digits of the Numbering Plan Area Code, also referred to as the NPA Code, the two conventional letters and one digit of the exchange followed by the four digits of the telephone number.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tabulating device that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture with a minimal number of parts.

These and other objects of the invention should be appreciated from the detailed specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the views, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of invention, partly broken away;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view partly depicting the spring and the rod with which it is associated.

In FIG. 1 reference numeral 1 refers to the housing of the telephone numbers register, made of hard rubber, plastic, or other suitable material, having end walls 3 in which are suitably secured rod 5, 7, and 9.

Two series of window openings 11 and 13 are formed with the housing 1. The first series 11 of three window openings are for the NPA Code for the direct dialing of station to station calls. The second series 13 of seven Window openings are for the telephone numbers of the parties to be called.

Three separate rollers 15, freely mounted on rod 5, have indicia suitably numbered from O to 9 thereon and knurled discs 17 integral with and of larger diameter than their respective rollers 15. The window openings 11 are made slightly larger than the segmental areas generated by cutting the rollers 15 and their integral discs 17 by the plane of the housing to permit of free rotation while at the same time preventing endwise movement thereof relative to the longitudinal axis of rod 5.

Seven separate rollers 19, freely mounted on rod 7, have indicia numbered from O to 9 thereon with the first two rollers 19, as viewed from the left, having additional indicia lettered thereon to correspond to the exchange letters of conventional telephone numbering systems, and knurled discs 21 integral with and of larger diameter than their respective rollers 19. The window openings 13 are similarly made slightly larger than the segmental areas generated by cutting the rollers 19 and their integral discs 21 by the plane of the housing to permit of free rotation while at the same time to prevent endwise movement thereof relative to the longitudinal axis {of rod 7.

Integral with each one of the ten rollers 15 and 19 are indent wheels 23, each one of which has formed ice therewith ten indents corresponding to the ten ositions of the rollers.

In engagement with each one of the indents of each indent wheel 23 are detents 25 depending from spring fingers 31 of spring generally referred to by reference numeral 27, thereby preventing rotary movement of any one of the rollers until same are rotated by manipulation of the discs to cam the detents 25 out of engagement with the indent wheel indents.

The significance of the spring 27 should further be appreciated for its utility apart from the present invention. The spring 27 is developed and cut from a sheet of metal with main body portion 29 configired sufficiency in excess of the circumference of a semi-circle to permit same to receive and be retained on a rod. Spring fingers 31 extending from body portion 29 may be temperedfor spring use, and in this connection the spring fingers may be either of the compression or tension type to suit a particular requirement. In the present invention the spring fingers are of the compression type.

It should further be appreciated that rods, 5, 7, and 9; the rollers 15 and 19; knurled discs 17 and 21; and indent wheels 23 may be made of suitable material similar to the material used for housing 1.

When an individual desires to place a long distance telephone call, he merely obtains the NPA Code and sets same by appropriate manipulation of knurled discs 17 and thereafter sets the telephone number by appropriate manipulation of knurled discs 21.

Having described my invention, I claim:

A telephone numbers register comprising a housing, three rods, ten rollers with indicia thereon, and a spring; said housing having end walls and window openings formed therein, said three rods being mounted in said end walls and being in longitudinal alignment as arranged and disposed therein, each one of said rollers having integral therewith a knurled disc and an indent wheel, each of said knurled discs being of a diameter greater than its associated roller to permit manipulation thereof, three of said rollers being freely mounted on one of said rods mounted in the upper portion of said end walls, the remaining seven of said rollers being freely mounted on one of said rods mounted in the forward lower portion of said end walls, each of said window openings formed in said housing corresponding to and associated with each of said rollers and their integral knurled discs as arranged and disposed on said rods, each of said window openings being formed slightly larger than the segmental area generated by the housing plane cutting each of said rollers and their integral discs to thereby permit free rotation of each of said rollers and their integral discs and to prevent endwise movement of said rollers relative to their respective longitudinal axes of said rods upon which said rollers and their integral discs are freely mounted, said three rollers mounted in the upper portion of said end walls having indicia thereon corresponding to the NPA Code for the direct dialing of station to station calls, said remaining seven rollers mounted in the forward lower portion of said end walls having indicia thereon corresponding to the telephone numbers of the parties to be called, the third one of said rods being mounted in said end walls and arranged and disposed between the other two of said mounted rods, said spring being mounted on said third rod, said spring comprising a body portion and spring fingers, said body portion being cross-sectionally incomplete in the generation of a circle but in excess of a semi-circle, said spring fingers being integral With said body portion and extending from terminal portions of the incomplete circular generation of said body portion, said body portion receiving said third rod therein and being retained on said third rod received therein, each one of said spring fingers having 21 depending detent, each one of said indent wheels having indents formed therein corresponding to the indicia on each of said rollers, each one of said depending detents 'being engaged with one of said indents of each of said indent Wheels.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,235,924 8/17 Read 40-68 1,656,227 1/28 Patchin 40-68 1,720,085 7/ 29 Meyers 40-68 2,375,667 5/45 Ludwig 267l 2,492,592 12/49 Perry et al. 235-l10 2,874,672 2/59 Hamm 40-68 X 2,888,258 5/59 Holfstrom 2671 2,945,312 7/60 Book 40-68 JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner. E. V. BENHAM, Examiner. 

